IT'S ALMOST BOO TIME.......

October has broken onto the calendar and in a few days it will be Halloween. Spooks and ghosts will be wandering and some folks will be attending Halloween parties and trail rides. If you decided to 'dress' your horse up for the day -- make sure the horse WANTS to be dressed up! Keep a costume horse simple. Nothing to drag on the ground that a horse could get wrapped around legs. Plenty of eye space so the horse can see where he's going and his vision is not restricted. And don't feed chocolate and candies -- keep it to carrots and apples -- for a safe digestive tract. The last thing you want for Halloween is a sick horse and an emergency call to or from your vet.

Along with October begins the Holiday Season. Used to be nothing Holiday began until AFTER Thanksgiving but Holiday stuff is creeping onto the store shelves sooner and sooner each year it seems like. I received my first Christmas catalog for Holiday cards the end of September. Sort of takes the fun out of last-minute shopping if you forget something. With 3 and 4 months advertising BEFORE Santa arrives there's no excuse for last-minute shopping.

Over the busy up coming season don't forget to take time and ENJOY your horse. Sometimes we get caught up in the rushing, shopping, buying, wrapping and forget our stall and barn bound pal waiting for us. You don't have to buy something expensive for your horse as a present -- your horse is just as happy with a bag of carrots, a couple apples, a good brushing, a clean water tub, a dry stall and good feed. It seems sometimes the presents aren't so much for the horse as trying to keep up with what the guy in the next stall buys his horse. So take a break from spending -- give your horse a hug, a pat on the neck and go for a ride!

If you want to give something to a fellow horseowner think what they do. If they trail ride, think about trail guides -- books on where trails can be found. Two Horse Enterprises (www.twohorseenterprises.com) has over 25 state trail guides. Plus other books for trail and horse safety such as "Bombproof Your Horse", "Horse Owner's Field Guide to Toxic Plants", "Happy Trails: Your Complete Guide to Fun & Safe Trail Riding" and more. There's videos on horsecamping, "Horse Sense", "Hobble Training" and "Hit the Trail", techniques for mvoing English and Dressage horses out of the arena and onto the trails. Hardware includes tree saves, knot eliminators, Bickmore Gall Salve and if you need a map -- Two Horse has National Forest Service, National Park Service and more in maps! Check out the website. And if you can't find something -- Two Horse also has Gift Certificates!

If you put a blanket on your horse over the next few winter nights, be sure to check it and make sure it fits the horse. Doesn't rub on the shoulders. Isn't to tight around the legs when the horse lays down. And TAKE the blanket OFF the horse at least twice a week to check skin and coat condition underneath. Ideally, the blanket should be pulled everyday -- and if the blanket is not water proof and gets wet, take it off and put another blanket on!! A horse will chill and can get sick with a wet blanket on. Just because a horse has a blanket on doesn't mean you stop grooming -- brushing, grooming, combing is just as important with a blanket on as off. So use a little grease and REALLY groom that horse!!

Stay safe on those winter trails,

Bonnie

www.twohorseenterprises.com
horsecamping@comast.net